Updated 2:15 pm, Friday, March 15, 2013

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Rosa and her son, Jacob, and soundman Justin Newman are seen during the making of "Mothers of Bedford." This moving documentary will be screened Sunday, March 17, at The Ridgefield Playhouse. Director Jenifer McShane and editor Toby Shimin will be on hand for a Q&A, along with some others who were involved in the film. less

Rosa and her son, Jacob, and soundman Justin Newman are seen during the making of "Mothers of Bedford." This moving documentary will be screened Sunday, March 17, at The Ridgefield Playhouse. Director Jenifer ... more

Photo: Contributed Photo

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Rosa and her son, Jacob, are shown in a scene from "Mothers of Bedford." This moving documentary will be screened Sunday, March 17, at The Ridgefield Playhouse. Director Jenifer McShane and editor Toby Shimin will be on hand for a Q&A, along with some others who were involved in the film. less

Rosa and her son, Jacob, are shown in a scene from "Mothers of Bedford." This moving documentary will be screened Sunday, March 17, at The Ridgefield Playhouse. Director Jenifer McShane and editor Toby Shimin ... more

Photo: Contributed Photo

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Jenifer McShane is the director of "Mothers of Bedford," which will be screened at The Ridgefield Playhouse on Sunday, March 17.

Jenifer McShane is the director of "Mothers of Bedford," which will be screened at The Ridgefield Playhouse on Sunday, March 17.

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Tanika and her son, Kareem, are shown in a scene from "Mothers of Bedford." This moving documentary will be screened Sunday, March 17, at The Ridgefield Playhouse. Director Jenifer McShane and editor Toby Shimin will be on hand for a Q&A, along with some others who were involved in the film. less

Tanika and her son, Kareem, are shown in a scene from "Mothers of Bedford." This moving documentary will be screened Sunday, March 17, at The Ridgefield Playhouse. Director Jenifer McShane and editor Toby ... more

"Mothers of Bedford" is an award-winning documentary that looks at five imprisoned women, all mothers, and follows their lives over four years.

The movie points out that women comprise the fastest growing population in U.S. prisons. Eighty percent of these inmates are mothers of school-aged children.

"Mothers of Bedford" was to be screened at the Ridgefield Playhouse on Sunday, March 17, but that showing is off.

The playhouse sent out a statement that due to "circumstances beyond our control," the playhouse's Film Society's presentation of "Mothers of Bedford" has been canceled and will be rescheduled for either April 19 or 20. Further details to follow next week, the playhouse said.

The film reveals that at the Bedford Hills Correctional Facility in Westchester (N.Y.) County, more than half of the 750 prisoners there are mothers, serving sentences of five to 25 years or life for robberies, drug-related crimes or worse.

Each of the women followed participates in a program at the prison that helps them maintain and improve the relationships with their children.

Sister Elaine Roulet founded the program decades ago to help prevent untold damage to a mother-child relationship, no matter how strong the positive effects of the rehabilitation program for the women.

At one point in the film, a child asks his father what the word "prison" means. "Prison is a place where bad people go when they do bad things," the father says. The son responds: "Where do good people go when they do bad things?"

Sister Roulet doesn't intend to paint the mothers as innocent victims. Her feeling is: "Yes, they have committed crimes and people need to pay for their crimes. However, being guilty of a crime does not make that person a bad mother."

McShane began shooting her film in 2006. It premiered at Hot Docs International Documentary Festival in 2011. She's done more than 100 screenings since then. One was at Lincoln Center. Another was before members of the New York State Parole Board.

"I'm in regular contact with two women from the film, Tanika and Mona," McShane said in a recent interview. "Tanika remains behind bars and thrived as a facilitator in the parenting program inside BHCF. This work, in my opinion, has given her confidence in her skills and abilities, and helped many other incarcerated mothers in the process."

Tanika was recently transferred to Albion Correctional Facility in northern New York.

"Sadly, there are few opportunities for parenting and children's programs there. Albion is near the Canadian border, making it much more difficult for me (and her family) to visit," McShane said. "Mona was also a leader in the Children's Center parenting program, and was one of the founders of the teen program there. She has a very positive relationship with her two grown sons and the regular contact with them during her very long sentence made that possible."

While there are many touching scenes in the film, McShane said the one she did not expect people to find as moving as they do, shows a parent teacher conference (via phone) between Tanika and her son's teachers.

"Several people told me during this scene they could relate to that universal moment that most every parent has experienced, meeting their child's teacher and hoping to hear they are doing well," McShane said. "Suddenly the parent in the audience feels they have a connection with the inmate -- both are loving parents."

Other memorably moving moments are when some of the women are released and reunited with family.

McShane said she especially wants people to know that correctional facility parenting programs are rare, and only survive through support from the community.